France to use algae to create green buildings

France will soon move forward with an effort to use algae to make buildings more energy efficient and help the country meet quickly-approaching environmental goals, reported Al Jazeera English.

“Jean-Louie Kindler wants to breed algae in tubes on roofs and sides of apartment and office blocks, starting with his own. Nourished on the impurities from their taps and toilets, the algae will turn the waste back into pure water,” the news outlet reported.

French regulations stipulate that buildings should “recycle their own water and produce more energy than they consume” by 2020, according to Al Jazeera.

The micro-algae grows in the waste water, then the algae is taken out and turned into a source of energy, according to Kindler.

While it is set to be used commercially in a few months, the technology to turn the algae into methane — steam energy — isn’t “in place.”

France has so far not been able to keep pace with Germany and Scandanavian countries when it comes to green buildings, but it aims to play catch up now.